If you’re a serious movie fan after a TV that will do true justice to films, but for whatever reason aren’t interested in, or can’t afford, an OLED, then you’ll likely be looking at a Mini LED set.
If so, you may be struggling to find one you want buy, as, while myself and the What Hi-Fi? reviews team have tested plenty of sets with the tech, many of them earned four, not perfect five-star ratings – a factor we know puts many people off.
This has certainly been the case for me personally.
Frequently I’ve had friends ask my advice on which TV to get, who then wince when they look at the price of the top end OLED I recommend – which at the moment tends to be the Product of the Year winning 65-inch Sony Bravia 8, or LG C4 if they’re gamers and need four HDMI 2.1 inputs.
The response is usually then, “What about something under a grand?”
It’s at this point I usually start pointing them towards one of the sets featured in our best Mini LED TV guide – and then get asked why I’m pointing them towards four, rather than five-star sets.
My answer is one that regular readers will have heard many times before: we review with a performance-per-pound / dollar focus.
This means that, while we have a baseline of what we deem “good”, or even “acceptable” performance, we scale our expectations and advice based on price. This is a big deal on Mini LED sets in particular as they tend to launch with high prices that drop significantly faster, and further, than their OLED counterparts.
A product that is reviewed early in its lifecycle may get a four, because at the time it doesn’t match rivals or is a little too expensive, but a few months on is much cheaper and thus an easier recommendation.
The 65-inch Hisense U7N I reviewed recently is a fantastic example of this trend. At launch the TV cost £1699 / $1699 which is undeniably pretty steep and firmly in OLED TV territory.
Blooming, where there’s a glow around light parts of the picture next to dark segments, plus some other minor issues and its OLED-level price, meant it got a four-star rating.
But now, with it regularly selling for as little £845 / $800 it’s a much easier recommendation, and one of the best “value” and performing sets you’ll find at that price – outside of the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED I just reviewed.
For those who do have the cash to splash and can’t be tempted by OLED, you’ll be pleased to hear that the prices of premium and large Mini LED TVs seem to be dropping drastically too.
The 75-inch Sony Bravia 9 is great example. When we reviewed the set it cost £4499 / $4000. The Mini LED panel’s inability to match OLED’s perfect blacks, some oddities with its settings and high price made it a four, not five-star product.
But since then its price has plummeted and you can get it for £2699 / $2400 in certain stores – which for a 75-inch TV with its specifications and performance is very tempting. To put that in context, its main rival, the 77-inch LG G4 currently retails for around £3599 / $3300.
This is why I always recommend bargain hunters keep an extra close eye on Mini LED TVs, even if they’re four stars. I personally will be watching the Amazon Mini LED this year for these reasons.
I’m expecting that to similarly drop in price this year and potentially go as low as £700 / $700 come Amazon Prime Day, which we’re expecting to happen in July. If my hunch is right, this would make it an absolute steal – and ideal gift / upgrade for my parents.
If you’ve got a similar budget I’d strongly recommend you do the same.
MORE:
These are the best TVs we’ve tested
We rate the best 65-inch TVs
Our picks of the best Sony TVs
